


Fireglow

by ashihime (snuberr)



Category: Jashi - Fandom, Samurai Jack (Cartoon)
Genre: Affection, Comfort, F/M, Light Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26073154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snuberr/pseuds/ashihime
Summary: The haunting sadness of his words kept her from sleep, until she could no longer stand it. Drabble.
Relationships: Ashi/Samurai Jack
Comments: 1
Kudos: 72





	Fireglow

**Author's Note:**

> A little scene during Jack and Ashi’s campfire moment in Episode 9.

In the stuttering fireglow, Ashi held her breath as Jack mentally retreated, lost in his own silence. Instantly, she was filled with remorse for coercing memories of his loss. 

The life he had known in his own time had been cruelly wrenched from him, and yet, he remained humble and kind. He had all the right to be angry, to lash out to the world, yet he chose to quietly persevere, even when he had been close to succumbing to the despair of it all. 

The breeze began to pick up and Ashi decided to pour her thoughts into the mundane tasks of cleaning up and readying their sleeping pallets. There were hardly any words spoken, save for him volunteering to tend the fire as first watch while she slept. She bade him goodnight as she settled for the night, curled up, facing away from him. 

With the warmth of the fire and the lifelong impression of her training, there was hardly a chill  _ and yet _ she craved for the warmth that enveloped her in his arms when her head craned up to meet his lips. It was a feeling of security she never could have dreamed possible. She wanted all of that again, but her chance had faded away the moment she brought up his past.

The haunting sadness of his words kept her from sleep, until she could no longer stand it. 

“All my life I was taught to hate.” She said aloud, and she could hear the crunch of sand and movement of his awareness. Ashi balled up her hands to her chest as she continued. “I was taught to hate you and I did....and for all my life, it consumed me.”

It seemed so long ago, she marveled in her reflection, the pulsing need and obsession of hunting down one man. The sole purpose of her life that had shackled her from birth, filled with pain and violence. 

“The life I had with the Daughters of Aku, if you could even call it that…” Her voice was soft but steady, “I endured. And I held on to my hatred of you because without it…” A pause from the sudden constriction in her throat. “My whole life would have been for nothing. Meaningless.” 

“Ashi...” His voice scraped at her heart but Ashi pressed on. 

“Thank you.” She said, pressing her cheek deeper into her pallet. “For helping me see the light.”

She doesn’t turn, strangely afraid to meet his gaze, of what emotions could fill them. She did not want his pity. She only wanted him to understand. That she too carried the weight of emptiness all her life. That he was not alone. 

Silence fell after her words, the desert wind whispering to the cackling fire. Ashi curled herself tighter, suddenly regretting her sentimentality when a shadow fell over her.

“May I?” An unnecessary question as Jack quietly lowered himself down onto her pallet beside her form. Ashi stilled her breath when she felt him lie down beside her, the side of his gi brushing against her clothed back. 

They stayed that way for a long time, Ashi not daring to move or utter a word, in fear of disturbing the evening spell. She was already content to have him this close. 

He did not share her thoughts though, for he turned and placed an arm over her, locking her in an embrace as he pressed closer. 

“Ashi.” He whispered out, his breath against her nape. “ _Thank you._ ” 

The warmth in his voice and presence quickened her heart. And she could not help but tremble when he sought out one of her hands, fingers tightly curling over her knuckles. 

“I am fortunate to have met you.” 

Ashi, although gladdened by his words, felt the tears well up in her eyes and spill sideways down her face. She could not trust herself to speak without betraying her emotions. So, she simply nodded and hoped that would suffice. 

He continued to hold her all throughout the night, the rise and fall of his breath lulling her into a dreamless sleep. Under the desert sky, the fire in their camp burned brightly like the sun. 


End file.
